Electric fire starter



6 w. E. DAVIDSON 3,334,214

ELECTRIC FIRE smn'mn I Filed Sept. 14, 1964 2 sheets-sheet 1.

fin/ew Zak 1, 1967 w. E. DAVIDSON ELECTRIC FIRE, STARTER Filed Sept. 14, 1964 I 2 sheets-sheet 2 United States Patent a 3,334,214 1 ELECTRIC IRE STARTER William E. Davidson, Ontario, Calif., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Filed Sept. 14, 1964, Ser. No. 396,179

12 Claims. (Cl. 219---261) This invention relates to an electrical device for starting fires and is particularly useful in igniting charcoal briquettes in braziers or wooden logs in fireplaces.

A common occurrence in recent years is the cooking of food outdoors ;-in a charcoal brazier. Charcoal broiled foods have become a big favorite for summer entertaining and regular meals; many people even charcoal broil during thewinter months. One of the major problems in using charcoal is starting the fire. There are chemicals in liquid form which can be used for this purpose, but these are inconvenient, oftentimes slow, and not completely safe. There are also electric starters of the sheathed heater type, but these are slow and usually of inferior construction and must be removed soon after they are proved electric fire starter having a heating element which quickly produces the necessary temperature and also automatically produces a smooth, even airflow onto the heating element and materials to be ignited.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an electric fire starter having a strong rugged construction and which is easy and safe to use.

Briefly stated, the fire starter of the invention includes a sheathed electric heater extending from a housing having an attached handle. A small electric fan is positioned within the housing so that its airflow is directed on the heater and adjacent fire area. The air velocity and volume of air produced by the fan is relatively low and is selected with respect to the wattage output of the heater to enhance quick starting of the fire, while at the same time not producing undesirable sparks or smoke.

Further features, objects, and attendant advantages of the invention will become apparent with reference to the following drawings in which:

. starter.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, for a brief general description of the invention, the fire starter may be seen to include a housing 10, a handle 12 extending from the rear of the housing, and a sheathed electric U-shaped heater 14 extending forwardly and upwardly from the lower portion of the housing. Within the housing there is positioned a motor 16 (FIG. 3) driving an axial The basic' operation of the device to start a charcoal fire can be readily appreciated. The fire starters is positioned as shown in FIG. 2 resting on the edge of a brazier 18 with the heater 14 extending inwardly engaging the charcoals 19. The housing 10 is positioned just over 7 the side of the brazier, and .a lug 20 formed on the bottom portion of the housing serves to position the fire starter. When the unit is energized, the heater quickly attains a high temperature, and the fan 17 produces a 3,334,214 Patented Aug. 1, 1967 relatively slow, smooth airstream over the heater and the fire area. Within a very short time, the charcoals will ignite and flames will eventually be produced. When the charcoals are burning satisfactorily, the fire starter should be removed from the fire, de-energized, and placed in its rest position, as shown in FIG. 1, wherein the heater is allowed to cool.

With that brief introductory description of the structure andsoperation of the fire starter, consider now the various components in greater detail for a fuller understanding of the device and greater appreciation of its novel aspects.

The heater 14 is of the well-known sheathed tubular type including a heating element 21, concentrically positioned within a metallic tube 22 by means of highly compacted electrically insulating, heat conducting material, such as magnesium oxide; The heating element 21 does not extend completely to the ends of the tubular portion 22, but instead is connected to a cold terminal 23 on each endsome distance from the front wall of the housing, as

' best seen in FIG. 3. As shown, the heater 14 is angled forwardly and upwardly away from the housing so that its-heater portion is positioned within the airstream of the fan, in accordance with one aspect of the invention. The heating element 21 commences approximately at the lower boundary of the airstream produced by the fan and, as may be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, all segments of the heating element are disposed in the same plane, or sub- .stantially so, to present an unobstructed surface to the ment, the airstream promotes rapid ignition of the fuel and the fire quickly becomes self-sustaining.

The heater 14 has been arranged to cooperate with a typical brazier 18' as shown in FIG. 2, so that the maximum effective length of the heater is conveniently in contact with the charcoals 19. That is, the heater is angled downwardly upon emerging from the housing, as shown at point 24, before commencing the upward angle at 25. Although the portion of the heater between point I 25 and element 21 contains only cold terminal 23, there is still considerable conductive heat given off by that portion of the heater. This arrangement provides the maximum eifective heater length which can be conveniently formed.

One of the critical aspects of the invention is the velocity of the airstream produced by the fan 17 and the volume of air produced relative to the heater wattage.

The fan provides a low velocity forced draft to speed ignition without blowing sparks or ashes from the fire. When used indoors, the fan does not blow smoke into the room from the fireplace. In the arrangement shown, the fan has approximately a three-inch diameter and is normally driven at a speed of 3200 r.p.m. When measured eight inches in front ofv the grill, the fan produces a flow of about 18 to 21 cubic feet per minute, with an air velocity of approximately 360 feet per minute. A

'velocity range of 300 to 500 feet per minute for the air passing adjacent the heater is desirable.

In the productionversion of the fire starter shown, the heater has a heated portion of about 15 inches and draws about 450 watts, or approximately 25 watts for each cubic foot per minute airflow from the fan. The wattage density of such heater is about 30 watts per linear inch of heater or 37 watts per square inch of heater sheath for a sheath diameter of 0.260". Naturallly, quicker starts may be obtained by utilizing higher wattages; however, from a safety standpoint, it is desirable that a moderate rating be utilized so that a heating element will not burn if inadvertently left too long within the fire. Thus, a sheathed tubular heater emanating 20 to 40 watts per linear inch is preferred.

Another feature of the invention is the strong, rugged, functional structure of the housing and the handle 12. The rear portion of the housing and the handle are formed of three mating members 26, 28, and 30, preferably made of high impact and heat resistant material, such as phenolic plastic. Elongated member 26 forms the real part of the lower section of the housing 10 and the lower section of the handle 12. The rear upper portion of the housing is formed by member 30 which mates with the forward part of member 26, as seen in FIG. 3. Member 28 cooperates with member 26 and 30 to form the upper section of the handle.

These molded members are held together by a series of screws extending through lugs molded integral with the members. Screw 32 extends through apertured lug 33 in lower member 26 and threads into apertured lug 34 in member 30. Screw 35 extends through apertured lug 36 in member 26 and threads into lug 37 in member 28. An additional screw (not shown) is used to clamp the rear portion of the members 26 and 28. Members 26 and 30 are further connected together by an additional pair of screws (not shown), one on each side of the motor 16 extending through a pair of lugs 38 (one of which is shown) in member 26 and into similar lugs (not shown) in member 30. The strength and integrity of the structure is further enhanced by a flange 39 on the leading edge of member 28 and extending beneath the rear edge 40 of member 30.

The front and side walls and forward portion of the housing surrounding the fan 17 is formed by a cup-shaped metal member 42 having an outwardly extending flange 44 on its rear edge. The flange 44 is received within a radially opening slot 46 formed in the forward edge of housing members 26 and 30. With such a unique arrangement, the metal member 42 is firmly held in place without the use of additional screws or fastening members. Forming the handle and the rear and side wall portions of the housing of phenolic plastic permits them to withstand the heat from the fire and to permit the user to easily handle the fire starter. The forward portion 42 of the housing with its front and side walls is formed of metal in that it is frequently positioned quite close to the charcoal or other material to be ignited, as can be seen in FIG. 2. It is always possible that burning charcoal might inadvertently come into direct contact with the housing, and plastic might not be able to adequately withstand such heat.

Housing member 30 is provided with a plurality of vertically oriented air inlet slots 48 in its rear wall and an additional group of slots 50 formed in its top wall. The air leaves the housing through a plurality of horizontally extending slots 52 forming a grill in the front wall of metal member 42. The air outlet grill formed by the slots 52 is designed to provide a slightly diverging airflow to properly encompass the fire area. To improve the air output of the fan, there is provided an orifice plate 80 positioned within metal housing portion 42. The orifice plate is formed with upper and lower outwardly extending flanges 82 which are received within the slot 46 in the plastic housing members 26 and 30.

A further aspect of the strength and ruggedness of the device is the manner in which the motor 16 and the heater 14 are secured in the housing 10. Note that the motor and fan are positioned between the ends of the U- shaped heater, whereby the fan airstream may be most easily directed at the effective portions of the heater. On

each side of the motor 16, there is positioned a generally 4 triangular shaped bracket, one of which is shown in FIG. 4 and at 54 in FIG. 3. Only one bracket and its relation to the surrounding structure will be described, but it should be understood that a similar arrangement is utilized on the otherside of the motor. The bracket is postioned perpendicular to the bottom wall of the housing with its major surface parallel to the motor axis. On the upper part of the bracket 54, there is an inwardly extending flange 56 which extends perpendicular to the bracket adjacent the front motor stator plate. A screw 58 extending through the motor secures the motor to the bracket. Bracket 54 also includes a tab 62 formed integral with the rear portion of the bracket and extending perpendicularly therefrom inwardly towards the motor. Tab 62 is secured screwed onto lug 64 formed integral with the lower housing member 26. The bracket is further provided with an outwardly extending perpendicular tab 60 which rests on the top of lug 38 of housing member 26 and is provided with an aperture aligned with the aperture in lug38. Hence, the screw 61 which extends through lug 38 and into a mating lug in housing member 30 not only secures the two housing members together, but also helps to firmly fix the bracket 54 to the housing, preventing movement axially. One end of heater 14 is welded or brazed to the lower surface of tab 60. With this unique arrangement, only a pair of brackets are required to firmly support and position the motor and the heater within the housing, resisting all of the various possible load forces.

It should be understood that the cold terminals 23 are suitably connected to the terminals of electrical power cord 84. To simplify the drawings, these internal connections have not been shown, and the power cord is not shown extending within the handle. The power cord may conveniently be provided with suitable strain relief means within the handle 12 by the use of integrally formed lugs on the handle members 26 and 28 defining a serpentine path for the cord.

As previously explained, when the fire starter is not in use, it is placed in rest position where it is supported by the heel or rear edge of the handle 14 and by a suitable handle rest 86 which is riveted or otherwise attached to lower forward portion of housing member 26, as seen in FIG. 3. The. handle rest is preferably formed of metal so that it can adequately withstand the heat to which it could be subjected when positioned within a brazier.

The fire starter of the invention must be properly balanced with respect to the pivot points formed by the handle rest 86 and the lug 20, FIG. 2. When the fire starter is placed in operation, as shown in FIG. 2, it is essential that the center of gravity of the unit be positioned well within the edge of the brazier so that the unit will not of gravity be positioned forwardly of the lug 20. When the unit is removed from the fire and placed in rest position to cool, it is essential that the unit remain in the rest position so that the heater is adequately raised from a supporting surface to prevent excessive heat on the supporting surface. Therefore, it is necessary that the center of gravity be positioned to the rear of the handle rest. Or, in other words, the center of gravity of the unit should be located in the section of the housing above and between handle rest 86 and depending lug 20 to obtain the desired balance. Since the motor 16 provides the bulk of the weight, it is located in this area. With this balanced arrangement, the convenience of the unit is enhanced as well as the safety in that it is not necessary to hold the fire starter during use or during cooling.

Another advantage of the fire starter of the invention is that it is easily cleaned and easily stored. The phenolic portions may be simply wiped with a damp cloth, and the high operating temperature of the heating element makes it virtually self-cleaning. The fire starter may be hung by its heating element for easy storage if desired.

When the fire starter is used to ignite logs, there are various methods which may be employed. The simplest approach is to place the heater between two or more logs and leave until ignition occurs. A faster method is to place the heater between logs for about four minutes and then lift the heater slightly to allow the air from the fan t-o'blow onto the charred wood causing flames to erupt. The heater may then be left in position until the fire is burning well. As a still faster method, apply the hot heater to an unbarked log in a sawing action. This will quickly produce flames. Additional logs may then be added and the heater left in place until a good fire is attained.

While there has been described and illustrated a specific embodiment of the invention, it should be understood that various modifications will readily come to mind to one skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended that such variations and modifications which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention shall be included within the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A fire starter comprising: a housing having a handle and an enlarged upstanding forward portion defined by front, rear, bottom, and side walls; an air inlet formed in said housing; an air outlet formed in said front wall; a motor mounted in the enlarged upstanding portion of said housing; a fan driven by said motor to move air in a forward direction through said air outlet; and a sheathed heating element having a generally U-shaped heating portion extending outwardly from said front wall and unheated terminal portions extending into said housing front wall adjacent the bottom wall, said heating element being angled upwardly to locate its heating portion directly in the airflow path from said fan, and said U-shaped heating portionhaving all segments disposed substantially in the same plane to present an unobstructed surface to the airflow.

2. A fire starter comprising: a housing having front, bottom, side, and rear walls; a handle attached to the lower portion of said rear wall; a sheathed generally U- shaped heating element having its terminals extending into the lower portion of said front wall and having its U-shaped portion extending outwardly away from said front wall; an air inlet located in said rear wall; an air outlet located in said front wall, a motor mounted in said housing; and a fan driven by said motor to move air through said outlet onto said heating element, the power output of said heating element being in the order -of 25 watts for each cubic foot per minute airflow from said fan.

3. A fire starter comprising: a housing having front, bottom, side, and rear walls; a handle attached to the rear wall; a sheathed heating element having its terminals extending into the lower portion of said front wall and having its remaining portion extending outwardly away from said front wall; an air inlet located in said rear wall; an air outlet located in said front wall; a motor mounted in said housing; a fan driven by said motor to move air through said outlet onto said heating element; the power output of said heating element being in the range of 25 to 40 watts per linear inch of heating element, and the airflow from said fan having velocities in the range of 300 to 500 feet per minute when passing over the heating element.

4. A fire starter comprising: a housing having front, bottom, side, and rear walls; a handle attached to the rear wall; a sheathed heating element having its terminals extending into the lower portion of said front wall and having its remaining portion extending outwardly away from said front wall; an air inlet located in said rear wall; an air outlet located in said front wall; a motor mounted in said housing; a fan driven by said motor to move air through said outlet onto said heating element; the power output of said heating element being in the range of 30 to 50 watts per inch of heater sheath, and the airflow from said fan having velocities in the range of 300 to 500 feet per minute when passing over the heat. ing element.

5. A fire starter comprising: a plastic housing having top, bottom, rear, and side walls, and including a plastic handle extending rearwardly from said rear wall; a cupshaped metal member surrounding said fan secured to said housing; an air outlet grill formed in the closed end of said metal member; air inlet means fo'med in the rear wall of said housing; a motor mounted in said housing; a fan driven by said motor to move air in a forward direction through said metal grill; and a sheathed generally U-shaped heating element with its U-shaped portion extending outwardly away from said grill and its terminal portions extending through said metal member into said housing adjacent said bottom wall.

6. The fire starter of claim 5 in which the open end of said cup-shaped metal member has an outwardly extending flange and the top, bottom, and side walls of said plastic housing are provided with an inwardly opening groove for receiving said flange.

7. A fire starter comprising: a combined plastic housing and handle extending rearwardly from the rear lower portion of the housing; said combined housing and handle being made of three mating molded plastic members including a member forming'the bottom wall and lower side Walls of the housing and the handle, a member forming the top and upper side walls of the housing, land a member forming the top and upper side walls of the handle; a metal airflow grill forming a front wall secured to said housing; air inlet means formed in the rear wall of said housing; a motor mounted in said housing; a fan driven by said motor to move air in a forward direction through said metal grill; a sheathed generally U-shaped heating element with its U-shaped portion extending outwardly away from said metal grill and its terminal portions extending through said metal grill into said housing adjacent said bottom wall; said heating element being angled upwardly in the airflow path from said fan.

8. A fire starter comprising: a housing having front, rear, bottom, and side walls; a handle attached to the lower portion of the rear wall; a sheathed U-shaped heating element extending outwardly and upwardly from the lower portion of said housing front wall and having its terminals extending into the housing through the lower portion of said front wall; an air inlet in said rear wall; an air outlet in said front wall; a motor mounted in said housing between said terminals; a fan driven by said motor to move air through said air outlet onto said heating element; and a pair of plate-like brackets, each positioned within said housing on opposite sides of said motor between the motor and a respective one of said terminals, each of said brackets being secured to a respective side of said motor, to a respective one of said terminals, and to said housing.

9. The fire starter of claim 6 wherein said fan is of the axial flow type.

10. A fire starter comprising: a housing having front, rear, and side walls, a handle attached to said rear wall; a sheathed U-shaped heating element extending from said housing front wall, with its terminals extending into the housing through the lower portion of the front wall; an air inlet in said housing; an air outlet in said front wall; a motor mounted in said housing between said terminals; a fan driven by said motor to move air through said air outlet onto said heating element; a pair of brackets positioned within said housing, each being secured to a respective terminal of said heating element; each of said brackets having a flange secured to said motor; each of said brackets having a tab threadably secured to the bottom wall of said housing; said housing including two mating molded plastic members forming walls of the housing; and a pair of threaded fastening members for joining said housing members, each of said brackets having a tab extending between said housing portions and having an aperture for receiving a respective one of said threaded fastening members.

11. A fire starter comprising: a housing having a rearwardly extending handle and an enlarged upstanding forward portion defined by front, rear, bottom, and side walls; an air inlet formed in said housing; an air outlet formed in said front wall; a motor mounted in the enlarged upstanding portion of said housing; a fan driven by said motor to move air in -a forward direction through said air outlet; a sheathed heating element extending out wardly from said front wall in the airst-ream of said fan, with its terminal portions extending into said housing front Wall adjacent the bottom wall; a lug depending from the bottom wall of said housing to engage the outer edge of a brazier to limit the inward movement of the fire starter into the brazier; and a handle rest depending from said bottom wall between-the lug and the forward edge of the bottom wall; said fire starter being balanced such that the center of gravity of the fire starter is located between and above said lug and said handle rest, the lower edge of said handle rest being lower than the lower edge of said lug so that the fire starter can be supported in rest position by the rearward edge of the handle and the handle rest.

12. A fire starter comprising:

(a) a housing having a handle and an enlarged upstanding forward portion defined by front, rear, bottom :and side walls;

(b) an air inlet formed in said housing;

(c) an air outlet formed in said front wall;

(d) a motor mounted in the enlarged upstanding portion of said housing;

-(e) a fan driven 'by said motor to move air in a for- References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Schottky 219-261 Johnson 219-261 Hall 219-261 Ogle 219-270 Borden 219-261 X Boggs 219-369 X Taren 219-2'70 Persinger 219-261 McCutcheon et al. 219-270 Bernstein 99-421 MacLachlan -1 Freedman et al. 219-370 X RICHARD M. WOOD, Primary Examiner.

V. Y. MAYEWSKY, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A FIRE STARTING COMPRISING: A HOUSING HAVING A HANDLE AND AN ENLARGED UPSTANDING FORWARD PORTION DEFINED BY FRONT, REAR, BOTTOM, AND SIDE WALLS; AN AIR INLET FORMED IN SAID HOUSING; AN AIR OUTLET FORMED IN SAID FRONT WALL; A MOTOR MOUNTED IN THE ENLARGED UPSTANDING PORTION OF SAID HOUSING; A FAN DRIVEN BY SAID MOTOR TO MOVE AIR IN A FORWARD DIRECTION THROUGH SAID AIR OUTLET; AND A SHEATHED HEATING ELEMENT HAVING A GENERALLY U-SHAPED HEATING PORTION EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID FRONT WALL AND UNHEATED TERMINAL PORTIONS EXTENDING INTO SAID HOUSING FRONT WALL ADJACENT THE BOTTOM WALL, SAID HEATING ELEMENT BEING ANGLED UPWARDLY TO LOCATE ITS HEATING 